What's here and what's next in STEM

Your students’ days are brimming with adventure on this action-packed journey through California on our West Coast Science and Technology Tour. Take a cable car ride. Walk on Yosemite’s scenic trails. Embark on a cosmic voyage and get a firsthand look at an 11-pound lobster. You’ll learn science and technology in amazing new ways.

This itinerary is designed to incorporate all elements of STEM learning. As you read through the day-by-day itinerary, pay particular attention to those activities designated with an S, T, E, or M as those have special emphasis on that area of study.

Video Overview

Learn more about our West Coast Science and Technology Travel Programs!

Your Adventure, Day by Day

Day 1 :
Welcome to San Francisco!

- City Tour:Drive by many of the famous sites and places that make this city so unique.

- Exploratorium:At this world-famous interactive science museum, explore the more than 650 hands-on exhibits, which cover topics from the human body to outer space!

- Dinner:

- Fisherman’s Wharf: Pier 39:Explore the sights and scenes of Pier 39, situated along the San Francisco Bay. Laugh with the sea lions, enjoy performance art and live drama, or take time to watch the beautiful
hand-painted carousels.

- Hotel check-in:

Day 2 :
Explore the city!

- Breakfast:

- Cable Car Ride:Soak in the sights of the city as you ride one of San Francisco’s historic cable cars. See the mechanics behind this unique transportation, and check out the amazing turntables that rotate the cable
cars 180 degrees!

- Chinatown:Visit the biggest Chinatown in the world!

- California Academy of Sciences:Explore the many exhibits that fill one of the ten largest natural history museums in the world!

- Lunch:

- Marine Mammal Center :A scientific research center focusing on the rescue and rehabilitation of seals and sea lions. Learn how they treat the ill, injured or orphaned animals and return the healthy ones back to the wild.

- Golden Gate Bridge:Walk across the 1.7 mile- long iconic “international orange” landmark, and glimpse the sights of the San Francisco Bay, including infamous Alcatraz Island.

- Dinner:

- Free Time:Spend time exploring Fisherman's Wharf on your own.

- Return to hotel:

Day 3 :
Be hands-on with education and innovation.

- Breakfast:

- Hotel check-out:

- Alcatraz Island:Learn about the significance of this historic location during the Civil War, and get familiar with the famed prison's transformation.

- Lunch:

- Tech Museum of Innovation:Explore high-tech science with the Tech’s many exhibits focused on innovation, the internet, the human body, and exploration.

- Dinner:

- Hotel check-in:

Day 4 :
View California's natural world!

- Breakfast:

- Yosemite Valley Tram Tour:Spend the first half of your day learning about Yosemite and its history. Appreciate the majestic cliffs and scenic waterfalls, but also the rich stories of the wildlife, ecology, and people who have helped shape the national park as we know it.

- Lunch:

- Engineering of Climbing:Learn about the tools and techniques skilled climbers use to traverse the Earth's natural landscape.

- Dinner:

- Return to hotel:

Day 5 :
Discover marine ecosystems.

- Breakfast:

- Hotel check-out:

- Whale Watching Cruise:All aboard for a trip out to sea! Keep your eyes peeled for a likely sighting of whales as you float along the waters of Monterey Bay.

- Lunch:

- Monterey Bay Aquarium:Home to more than 623 species of plant and animal life, this interactive museum takes you on a journey through the sea. Explore collections including interactive touch tanks, tropical fish, sea otters, and a jellyfish exhibit that is simply electrifying.

- Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park :Walk between giants in this peaceful old-growth forest and wonder at the coastal redwoods, the oldest of which is at least 1,200 years old!

- Dinner:

- Return to hotel:

Day 6 :
Bon Voyage!

- Breakfast and hotel check-out:

- Depart San Francisco for home:*Note: Itineraries may be modified and inclusions substituted depending on your travel dates, arrival and departure times, national holidays, hours of operation, and events beyond WorldStrides’ control.

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